Tuesday September 29, 2009 2:51 pm

Preview: ngmoco’s new iPhone FPS: ELIMINATE

Oh, San Francisco. Home to the 49ers, majestic bridges, historic Alcatraz, cable cars and even countless videogame development studios. Amongst these studios, in a cozy restored building cloaked by the AT&T Park, lives Neil Young’s iPhone & iPod Touch game developer—NGMOCO.

ngmoco has been put out some of the most successful games for the iPhone & iPod touch, including the Rolando series, Topple and Word Fu. Ranging from puzzle, strategic and adventure, ngmoco knows how to create entertaining portable games. Now, they are set to release one of their most exciting titles yet, ELIMINATE. ELIMINATE is a 3G/Wi-Fi enabled First-Person Shooter (FPS) game, which takes advantage of micro-transactions, where you can upgrade characters, weapons, and the like.

Uncomplicated games currently dominate the App Store platform, due to their casual nature and mass appeal. The creation of more complex genres, such as FPS and strategic games, require a higher level of thought and consideration— a challenge ngmoco was more than willing to take on. ELIMINATE brings with it an FPS online arena with intuitive controls that make it simple to jump in and play, and while the game might be a pick up and play experience, they haven’t ignored the importance of creating a story. ELIMINATE casts you as an employee of Arsenal Megacorp, a company in question for the use of humans in testing as a way of perfecting their gear. You and three other players are the guinea pigs of this project—SURPRISE!

Gameplay concept is simple: spawn and kill. Deathmatch is the only mode the game allows, and that is pretty much the point. Matches start with your basic weapon (or weapons that you’ve purchased) in one of the five available levels. You will need energy to begin the game, and entry time is almost immediate. ELIMINATE will match you with other players over the Plus+ Network—the ngmoco iPhone & iPod touch online gaming service. Your energy depletes as you play and you may play without it, however, your kills won’t earn you credits, which you need for upgrades. Although your energy is set to replenish over time, you are also able to purchase powercells via microtransactions, which nets you energy faster. There is not a set amount of time for energy replenishment or price for powercells yet. If you do not wish to purchase powercells or wait for it to replenish, worry not - while in a match, players will drop powercells when they pass on to the next life. Aside from powercells, you will also be able to find temporary power-ups that give you a slight advantage, if you play your guns right.

Like we said before, the controls of the game are quite intuitive. A horizontal layout allows for the use of movement with right thumb and looking with the left thumb. Shooting? A simple tap will do, or you can also double-tap and hold for an automatic fire mode. While playing, we had very little trouble figuring out how to move, where to go, and how to get from point A to point B. Options let you tweak your sensitivity and flip controls, which is something you might want to experiment with for the setting that fit you.

ELIMINATE offers an amazing online FPS mobile experience. Simple controls and interfaces allow you to pick up your device and start playing anywhere, while giving you a satisfactory gaming experience. Sure, it is no Halo multiplayer, but for a game running on an iPhone or iPod touch over 3G or Wi-Fi, it’s pretty darn solid. The game does not have a set date of release yet, so keep your ears open for it!